Wildcats top Monarchs 2-0 in soccer

RICHLANDS – This could have been an even bigger soccer victory for Richlands.

Chris Miller-Prep Sports Writer/The Daily News

RICHLANDS – This could have been an even bigger soccer victory for Richlands.

Still, coach Mike Roed will take the Wildcats’ 2-0 nonconference win over Northside on Thursday night because he felt his team played well overall, despite not finishing many of its scoring chances.

“I think we played good in the back. We were really organized in the back and we got numbers behind the ball,” Roed said. “I thought our ball movement was good at times. We just didn’t finish opportunities.”

However, the Wildcats (2-1-3) put enough away to defeat the Monarchs (1-5) for their second consecutive victory entering Tuesday’s Coastal 3-A Conference opener at West Carteret.

Sophomore Roman Eddleman scored just 2:50 into the second half while junior Tolson Jeffrey added Richlands’ second goal with 9:27 left in the match to seal the win.

“Frustrating, yeah,” Roed said of his team’s missed opportunities. “Scoring goals is a skill and right now we are struggling trying to find that one person who can finish the ball in there.

“It might be because we just haven’t had a chance to get out and play because of the rain and lightning we’ve had. A couple of times tonight we were going a little bit too slow and we didn’t put it in.”

Eddleman certainly found the way to the goal to give Richlands the only score it needed.

After playing a Ryan Appleyard pass from the right side, Eddleman went toward the goal before kicking it past Northside goalie Alex Hull.

“Ryan played me the ball through, I got it and I ran 10 yards,” Eddleman said. “I hit it right into the left corner.”

Eddleman has had to adjust to playing a different position because of injuries.

“Roman is usually the guy up top, but with injuries we’ve had to have him work more in the midfield,” Roed said.

The Wildcats made it 2-0 with 9:27 left when Jeffrey scored on a direct kick from about 25 yards.

“The first half we didn’t finish. We had a couple of shots in the front of the goal that we didn’t finish,” Eddleman said. “But we just kept shooting.”

The Wildcats controlled possession most of the match. Appleyard, a senior, was a big reason for Richlands’ ball movement.

“We were able to get to the outside and Appleyard played a really good game on the outside,” Roed said. “He was able to attack on the outside and we were able to use our speed and get the ball in the middle.”

Hull helped the Monarchs stay in the game by making 12 saves – six in each half. He made three saves on point-blank Richlands shots.

“Alex is working hard and he is going to be strong for us in the goal,” Northside coach P.J. McManus said. “He makes some really good saves.”

McManus, who coaches the Richlands girls’ soccer team, was disappointed in the loss but pleased with his team’s effort.

“They are taking steps forward now,” he said. “We are still trying to come up with a starting lineup, but we are fortunate we don’t start conference play until Sept. 23.”

But the Wildcats still proved too much for the Monarchs.

“We are starting to get better in the back and we are getting a lot of opportunities,” Roed said. “We just need to put them in the net. It will come.”